where the yellow brick road leads
by MissingMommy
Summary: And maybe being stuck with the Wicked Witch for over seventy-five years wasn't a bad thing after all. :: Dorothy-centric, slight!Charlie/Dorothy, for Jess


For Jess. I really hope that you like this.

Somethings come from episode 9.04

* * *

"You're too old to be tucked in," her father says dismissively.

Dorothy looks at him, her dark green eyes wide. "But -,"

"No buts. Go to bed."

The five year old climbs into one of the two beds in the room. In all her life, she can't remember having her own room; just the room that is provided by her dad's job. Squeezing her eyes closed, she tries to will herself to sleep. They have a long day ahead of them tomorrow, after all.

* * *

"I'll be back here in a little bit," he informs her. He grabs the car keys from the dresser. He gives her a firm stare. "You know the rules. Don't -"

"Open the door for anyone. And don't leave," she recites back.

A proud smile crosses his face. He nods. "Goodbye."

She watches him go. A twinge of sadness buries itself in her chest. She's tired of sitting in these hotel rooms all by herself while her father works.

* * *

"Papa," she whispers.

Her father looks up from the folder he's looking at. A frown crosses his face. "Yes," he prompts her.

She knows she shouldn't ask, but she cannot help the words, "Can I have a puppy?" from falling out of her mouth. She's been lonely for years, unable to form the bond of friendship with someone since her father takes her with him on his new assignments.

His frown deepens. "How many times do I have to tell you no?"

Turning away from him, she feels the urge to cry. But she doesn't. She's stronger than that.

* * *

"Dorothy," he says. There's a tone of worry in his voice, one that she doesn't miss.

"I'm alright," she assures him. She looks up at the two strangers standing in front of her and back to her father. "Are you going to explain what happened?"

Her father gives her a look that clearly says he isn't. But the male in front of her starts talking. "I'm guessing that was your first supernatural experience." The man laughs as he motions to the woman besides him. "My wife and I deal with them all the time. We're hunters."

Her father glares at the two strangers. "I think it's best if you leave."

The man nods. And he offers Dorothy a paper. "If you're interested."

She takes the proffered paper happily. The couple leave them alone.

* * *

She stands in front of her aunt's house. Her father hold luggage in his hands. "I would rather not do this, Dorothy," he says. "I want to take you with me. But I can't."

"Don't you love me?"

The words are out of her mouth before she knows what she's saying. Her father drops the luggage, placing both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Of course I love you. But I can't take you with me."

"Why not?"

His face hardens. "We've been through this, Dorothy. The Men of Letters don't allow girls to work with them. You know this."

It's the same excuse she's heard so many times before. Her father is choosing his work over her again. He's always chosen his work over her, so it really shouldn't hurt that he is again. But it does.

He probably can see the brief look of disappointment and hurt on her face that she quickly hides, because he reaches out and strokes her chestnut hair back. "There's no need to worry. I'll be back soon. You're going to love it here."

Dorothy picks up the bag from beside her father. "I'm sure I will, father," she replies. She can't keep the bitterness from rising in her voice. She walks past him.

"Dorothy," she hears her father call.

She doesn't bother to stop. She knocks on the front door of the small, white house. There's shuffling inside before it's thrown open. In the doorway stands a woman that looks similar to her own father - dark brown hair, unforgiving eyes.

"Dorothy!" she exclaims happily. "Your father said that you would be coming to stay. Come in. Come in."

She is ushered into the house. The room is rather bare with just a few chairs and a couch around the room, but it doesn't surprise Dorothy.

She takes a seat, and tries to think of something other than the fact that her father left her in the care of her aunt and uncle for his work.

* * *

"You're not kidding, are you?"

She looks up at her aunt and uncle, hopeful. She's always wanted a pet of her own, but her father denied her because of the constant moving.

"It's yours," her aunt says, nodding.

Dorothy sticks a tentative hand out. The dog before her is very small, light brown coat. The dog sniffs her hand before licking it. Dorothy pets him gently.

"As long as you take care of him yourself."

Dorothy lunges at her aunt, wrapping her arms around her tightly before hugging her uncle. "Thank you!"

Her aunt just laughs. "What's his name?"

"Toto," she says decisively.

And she feels happier than she can remember as she clutches Toto to her chest.

* * *

When the swirling finally stops, Dorothy finds herself stumbling to stand. After she gets her bearings straight, she glances around. It looks strange and it's definitely not the small farm on Kansas, where she just was.

A bark makes her flinch and Dorothy looks down to Toto, wagging his tail.

She needs to find a way out of this place. And quickly.

* * *

Despite everything, as she is following the yellow brick road with the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy realizes that Oz is becoming more of a home to her than the life she was leading back in Kansas.

She doesn't want to go back to Kansas. Not really. She likes it in Oz. And she has friends for once in her life.

But there's some part of her that knows she has to go back. So she clicks the red heels three times, hoping to make it back to Kansas.

What she isn't expecting is the Wicked Witch of the West to follow her.

* * *

"Aunt Em? Uncle Henry?" she calls out, throwing the door open.

She freezes. A blonde haired woman lifts her head from her aunt's neck. Before Oz, she may have tried to run. But now, anger rushes through her body.

She picks up the closes thing to her, a knife, and smile at the woman. The woman is quicker than she is. "A knife won't kill me, foolish girl."

As the being pulls her head back, Dorothy buries the knife in her chest. A loud scream fills the air and Dorothy wastes no time moving from the woman.

She slumps again the floor, unceremoniously.

Dorothy takes the moment to move towards the living room to check on her aunt. "Aunt Em?" she says tentatively. Her aunt doesn't move. She throws her arms around her aunt, tears falling from her eyes. Her aunt and uncle have been the closest thing she could call actual parents.

After a while, her tears dry and she stands. She straightens her clothes. As she goes to leave the house, she remembers the paper that was given to her by the Hunter couple years ago. She grabs that before she leaves.

* * *

"Are you sure you want this?"

The man - William she found out - was eyeing her curiously. His wife, Anna, smiles at her.

"We'll train you. But I have to ask, where is your father? He didn't seem too thrilled to see us last time."

Dorothy shrugs. "I haven't seen him in two years. His job required him to leave me at my aunt's."

"What does he do?" William questions.

"He's a Man of Letters."

Anna grins. "A glorified librarian, then."

Dorothy can't help but laugh.

* * *

A particular hunt leads Dorothy, William and Anna to the Men of Letters. They have no other knowledge of what could be causing the disappearances of several family over the past few years. And despite everything, Dorothy knows the only way to save them is to find the answers that the Men of Letters most likely have.

She walks through the doors of one of the many locations, William and Anna hot on her heels. The man reading the newspaper doesn't even look up. "You're not allowed in here."

"I thought the Men of Letters helped a Hunter when in need," Dorothy replies in a cold tone.

At the sound of her voice, the man puts down his newspaper, giving Dorothy his full attention. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize you were a Hunter. I get so many regular humans in here…" he trails off.

"We need to conduct some research," she says.

He furrows his eyebrow, tilting his head. "You're Frank Baum's kid, aren't you? You are! I never thought I would see the day his kid becomes a Hunter."

Dorothy narrows her eyes. "I'm not here to play catch up. I'm here to save lives. Are you going to help me or not?"

After a moment, the man sighs. He stands and motions for them to follow him.

It takes a while for the man to shift through all the information they give him, but eventually he informs them of what they are hunting and how to kill it. As the three of them tries to leave, his voice stops him. "Your father is still in Oregon, if you want to see him."

Dorothy nods and leaves wordlessly.

* * *

"I need to see him," Dorothy says over dinner that night. She lifts her head, looking between William and Anna. "He deserves to know about his sister. And I should be the one to tell him."

Anna nods sympathetically. "I think you're right. It should come from you."

Dorothy looks down. "I'll head that way in the morning. I can never thank you both enough for all that you have done for me."

"You don't have to thank us," William says, waving it off. "You make a fine Hunter."

Dorothy smiles.

* * *

"I'm looking for Frank Baum," Dorothy says.

The man looks over his newspaper. "And what business do you have with Frank?"

Dorothy raises her eyebrow. "I don't think it is your concern what I need to speak to my father about," she replies coolly.

"You're Frank's daughter? Last time I heard, he dropped you off at your aunt's to give you stability. That was -"

"Three years ago," she cuts him off. "Yes, I know. But I need to speak to my father. Would you mind telling me where he is?"

He rises from his chair. "I'll go get him."

As Dorothy waits, the man's words echo in her mind. She thought that he left her with Aunt Em because he didn't want to deal with her anymore. Not because she needed stability.

"Dorothy!"

The voice causes her to meet her father's eyes. He's smiling and his hair is still cut in the same way. Not much had changed with him in the years. "What are you doing here?"

She looks behind her father to see the man she spoke with first. She doesn't want to deliver the news in front of everyone. "Is there some place we can go?"

Her father nods. "Jeffery, I'll be back in a while."

* * *

It's the hardest conversation of her life. But she started from the beginning, from finding herself in Oz, to coming back to the vampire attacking Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

Her father listened quietly to it. Only shedding tears at the news of his sister's death.

"I'll kill whoever did it," he swears.

"I already did," she whispers.

He tilts his head. She can see the tear-streaks down his face. "What do you mean?"

"I hunted down every vampire in a hundred mile radius," she informs him.

He frowns. "How?"

She debates on whether or not to tell him. But she figures he would find out anyways from the Pennsylvania branch. "The couple that saved us from the ghosts a while back. I met back up with them and they trained me."

"You're a Hunter?" he asks. His voice is tight.

She only nods.

"That's too dangerous!" he exclaims.

She narrows her eyes. "Not more dangerous than anything I was doing in Oz. And you didn't seem to have a problem with me doing that."

He looks like he wants to say something, but he closes his mouth again.

"If you don't mind, there's a case nearby. I was going to check it out while I was in the area."

She doesn't give her father the chance to protest before she's gone.

* * *

Dorothy continues on, going from state to state, hunting things. She tries to forget her father, but can't for long. Everytime she shows up to the Men of Letters' operating point, she is reminded of him.

And as the time goes on, she finds that the man at the door holding a book instead of a newspaper when she goes in. On the spine of the book reads _Frank Baum_. Before the man can protest, she snatches the book out of his hand.

_The Wizard of Oz_.

She doesn't have to read the summary to know what the book is about. She gives it back to the man and requests research, pushing the thought of the book to the back of her mind.

* * *

"You could've told me you were planning on making money off my life story," she spits.

Hurt father flashes through her father's eyes before it's gone. "I would've told you if I could ever find out where you are going to be. I haven't spoken to you in two years, Dorothy."

"That still doesn't give you a right to make money off my life."

He sighs. "I'm not. All the money is yours. I thought that writing it would help us."

She tilts her head. "You got the part about the poppy field wrong. It was bloodier than that."

"I didn't want to scare the children," he says, chuckling.

Dorothy turns to leave. "You know," he calls out, "I am sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything."

She closes her eyes. "I know. Me too."

* * *

The Wicked Witch showing up in Oklahoma was definitely a surprise for Dorothy. She had thought she left everything Oz behind when she left.

But the Witch laughs and Dorothy feels her adrenalin pumping, like she did fighting against the her in Oz. It's unfinished business and she is going to finish it this time, for sure.

It takes her a while, but Dorothy finally manages to get the upper hand. She wastes no time in trying to defeat the Witch, once and for all. But nothing she does works. The Witch appears dead for a few moments before gasping back to life.

She has no other choice but to call upon the Men of Letters.

* * *

This is not what she was expecting to do when she entered the bunker. She thought that she would kill the Witch with the knowledge the men provide her with. They can't find an answer and Dorothy can't let the Witch roam free, knowing the destruction she can cause.

Instead, she starts to make a potion. One that will bind their souls together forever. Dorothy wants to laugh at the almost-romanticism of it all.

"It's you and me forever, bitch."

She closes the lid to the vial and she feels a tug on her soul. And then it starts to burn. She screams, but no noise comes out. After a few moments, the sensation fades away, leaving her with nothing but the Witch for company.

* * *

When she finally comes to, Dorothy looks around quickly for the Witch. She was never supposed to be human again. If she's human, the Witch is in her body and that is never good.

She meets the glances of the three occupants of the room. And she has a feeling that she is no longer in 1935. That feeling is amplified when the woman informs her that she is a Woman of Letters.

Though, admittedly, stranger things has happened to her before.

* * *

She looks out at Oz. And it's a bittersweet feeling. Out of everything, she enjoyed her time in Oz the most. Her life as a Hunter was fun, but it can't beat the rush of adrenaline that she gets just seeing Oz again.

She turns to the red-headed girl to her right. "You can come with me if you want."

Charlie's face lights up.

Together, they walk into Oz.

* * *

It takes them a while. But eventually, the Wicked Witch's force is destroyed, bring peace to Oz. And none of it could've been done without the girl next to her. Dorothy slips her hand into Charlie's. Charlie leans over and kisses Dorothy.

"How was that for a quest?" she asks when they pull apart.

Charlie laughs. "It rocked! But I'm glad that it's over."

"Me too."

And maybe being stuck with the Wicked Witch for over seventy-five years wasn't a bad thing after all.

* * *

A/n - I struggled with this. A lot. Rish was a godsend by helping me it. I'm sorry there wasn't more Charlie/Dorothy, dear.


End file.
